Beauty
Fact-checked

At BeautyAnswered, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.

Learn more...

What is a Mini Pedicure?

Kerrie Main
Kerrie Main

There are many types of pedicures that serve the purpose of cleansing and pampering the feet. Pedicures often include cuticle care as well as cutting, filing and painting the toenails. They usually leave the recipient feeling pampered, relaxed and more attractive. This type of treatment for the feet and toenails can take as long as two hours, and a mini pedicure typically lasts about 30 minutes. Many people incorporate mini pedicures into their regular skin care regimens because mini pedicures usually have all of the basic pedicure elements in a convenient amount of time.

The cleansing portion of the mini pedicure usually involves placing the feet in a small basin or tub filled with warm water to soften the feet and nails. Most often, a small scrubbing brush, soap and essential scented oils are used to clean the feet thoroughly. After the feet and nails have softened, the feet are toweled dry, and old toenail polish is removed. The nails are then cut and shaped with a nail trimmer and nail file. The nail cuticles usually are pushed back with a cuticle stick at this time.

A mini pedicure it typically much quicker than a regular one.
A mini pedicure it typically much quicker than a regular one.

Sometimes, the feet are then exfoliated with a salt or sugar scrub. In professional nail salons, the feet usually are wrapped in warm towels for five to 10 minutes. The next step in a mini pedicure is moisturizing the feet with lotion and applying nail polish. A clear base coat and two coats of nail polish usually are then applied to ensure that the nail enamel doesn’t discolor the nail and to prevent chipping. When the nail polish is dry, the mini pedicure is completed.

Metal orange sticks are used to push the cuticles back.
Metal orange sticks are used to push the cuticles back.

A mini pedicure can be done professionally or at home and often costs less than a standard pedicure. Standard pedicures typically have an exfoliation phase with callous removal and a 30-minute calf and foot massage. Some spa pedicures include mud or clay paste on the calf and foot as well as shaving of the bottom of the foot to remove dead skin. Other pedicures include dipping the feet in paraffin wax and wrapping them in plastic bags to further soften the feet. Many nail technicians apply pressure to reflexology points that are believed to be connected to specific organs in the body.

Wooden nail sticks may be used to gently push back cuticles.
Wooden nail sticks may be used to gently push back cuticles.

Pedicures can help to heal the damage caused by walking, standing and wearing uncomfortable shoes. Both men and women do this type of treatment because it typically gives fast, effective relief to tired and sore feet. The typical cost of a mini pedicure ranges from $15 US Dollars to $50 USD.

Discussion Comments

anon307290

Pedicures absolutely balance me! Soothing to my feet and my brain! I get a professional pedicure every 8 weeks but at four weeks I give myself a nice pedicure. I got my pedi set online. Now I have lots of friends who treat themselves as I do. They say it really is a treat! --Laurie

lighth0se33

@golf07 – I know what you mean. The bottoms of my feet get so rough in the summertime, and without a mini pedicure, they would look awful in sandals and flip-flops.

The salon I go to uses a callus file on my feet. It isn't one of those scary, rough metal ones, though. It is more like fine-grain sandpaper on a stick.

The nail technician can get most of the roughest skin off with this file. The paraffin wax takes care of the rest. My feet feel incredibly soft by the time she is done with them.

kylee07drg

@Oceana – I use cuticle oil as part of my home mini pedicure, too. It just seems to improve the condition of my nails so much. They were dry and brittle before I started using it, but now, they look pink and healthy.

I don't usually do a soak, because I always shower right before doing the mini pedicure. So, my feet have been washed and rinsed, and I think that is all that matters.

I get a little bit fancy with the polish. I like to do designs using nail art pens. Sometimes, I paint my nails red with green tips and black dots to look like slices of watermelon.

I do everything from random polka-dots to holiday-themed polish jobs. Around Halloween, I like to paint horizontal white, yellow, and orange stripes across my toenails and fingernails to make them look like candy corn.

wavy58

This may sound strange, but I'm afraid to clip my cuticles. It just sounds painful, and I've never had it done. My cuticles seem to be fine the way they are, so I leave them alone.

I've never even pushed them back with an orange stick. I really don't see the point. Maybe if I'd been having issues with them, there would be reason to, but I don't know what those issues would be.

A friend offered to take me to a salon for a mini pedicure at the same time that she was having one, but I refused. I would have liked to have had the soak, scrub, and polish, but I dreaded the cuticle clipping so much that I couldn't go through with it.

Oceana

I guess I've been giving myself mini pedicures all along without ever knowing that is what they were called! Every week, I will scrub my feet with a scented exfoliating scrub before trimming and filing my nails.

After that, I apply cuticle oil to my nails and cuticles to moisturize them. I let it soak in before finally rubbing off the excess. Next, I do the base coat and the double coats of polish.

I always finish off with a top coat to seal in the color. This keeps the paint from chipping off during the week.

I do what I guess is called a “mini manicure” right after doing my toenails. It's easier to do them all in one night, and the polish on both will last about a week, so I can redo them at the same time the following week.

sunshined

I have had a few mini pedicures, but prefer to spend my money on other spa services. I don't have a lot of extra money for pampering, so would rather spend it on a mini massage than a mini pedicure.

As far as pedicures go, I like to invite some of my friends over and we will give each other a pedicure and manicure.

This is a lot of fun and certainly saves a lot of money over having it done professionally. It doesn't cost much to buy pedicure tools and nail polish.

This is a fun time of socializing and getting our nails done at the same time. Some people prefer to do their own nails, and others love having someone else do it. Either way, we enjoy the company and save a lot of money.

andee

My daughter has a mini pedicure done about every 2 weeks. She will usually paint her own fingernails, but loves the pampering when it comes to her feet.

I am the type of person who doesn't like to have my feet touched. I have never had anyone give me a pedicure. Even a mini pedicure would make me feel uncomfortable.

Just the thought of someone massaging my feet and clipping my toenails makes me feel uncomfortable. I know there are a few other people who feel this way, but most people can't understand this.

I keep lotion on my feet and heels to keep them soft, and paint my toenails once in a while. I don't mind doing this myself, but just don't like the thought of someone else giving me a pedicure.

bagley79

A mini pedicure is the right price for me, and the perfect amount of time to keep my feet looking nice.

Having someone work on my feet is one of the most relaxing things for me. I even enjoy this more than getting my fingernails done.

Most of the time, I will schedule a mini pedicure and get my fingernails done at the same time. I have never spent the money for a full spa pedicure that would include a nice foot massage and other special treatment.

Someday I would love to spend an entire day at a spa and get a full pedicure along with some other pampering treatments.

golf07

I usually only treat myself to a mini pedicure during the summer months. In the winter nobody ever sees my feet, and they are always covered up with warm socks and boots.

When the weather starts getting warm, I will schedule a professional pedicure, and like to go consistently during the summer.

At my first spring pedicure my feet need a lot of soaking and softening. It feels so good to get my feet back in shape and my toenails painted a bright color.

Even if you use a base coat on your nails, I think it is good to let them rest from polish every so often.

I just don't do this in the summer because I don't like to wear sandals without my toenails being painted.

ysmina

@simrin-- You should look ask various salons before deciding on one for a mini pedicure. Because salons tend to have different types of packages and you might get better services or prices with some.

With the salon I go to, for example, their mini pedicure is for forty-five minutes, not thirty. And they provide almost all of the services they provide in the full pedicure, some of the steps are just a little bit shorter. Considering that some full pedicures are forty-five to sixty minutes long, it's a great deal.

Some salons that offer mini pedicures only do for children. These pedicure services for children under the age of ten tend to be called "mini pedicures." So it can be confusing.

If you're worried about cost, you could also purchase a mini home pedicure set which has all the tools and products you need to give yourself a mini pedicure at home. A friend of mine got one a couple of weeks ago and said that she loves it.

SteamLouis

@fify-- That sounds great! I get mini pedicures a lot too and I don't even get all of those services with mine!

All my salon does in a mini pedicure is soak, trim and file nails, clean up cuticles if necessary and nail polish. That's it! I don't get the exfoliation, lotion, or massage. Yours sounds like a great mini pedicure! And mine lasts thirty minutes too. If I want those additional services, then I have to get a sixty minute full pedicure which is twice the cost of the mini pedicure.

Maybe I should look for a different salon that has a better mini pedicure services. I feel like I'm missing out now!

fify

I just realized after reading this article that the weekly pedicure I get is actually a mini pedicure. I didn't know that regular pedicures usually last for more than half an hour. I thought that the thirty minute pedicure I receive once a week is a regular one, but clearly it's not.

I'm still satisfied with it though because it doesn't cost much and the salon I go to is very clean and hygienic which is important for me.

The pedicure starts out with me soaking my feet in a pedicure bath. After my feet soak for fifteen minutes and soften, they use a scrub on the bottom of my feet to remove dead skin. Then my nails are cut and filed, followed by lotion. Finally I get nail polish applied.

The main part of the pedicure, the polishing and filing part takes just fifteen minutes. The rest of the time is spent soaking my feet. But even this mini pedicure is very relaxing. Especially after the lotion I really feel that my feet have rested.

Maybe one day, I'll visit another spa for a full pedicure that lasts longer. But for the price I pay and the fact that I go once a week, a mini pedicure is perfect for me.

Post your comments
Login:
Forgot password?
Register:
    • A mini pedicure it typically much quicker than a regular one.
      By: Valua Vitaly
      A mini pedicure it typically much quicker than a regular one.
    • Metal orange sticks are used to push the cuticles back.
      By: Maksim Kostenko
      Metal orange sticks are used to push the cuticles back.
    • Wooden nail sticks may be used to gently push back cuticles.
      By: Valua Vitaly
      Wooden nail sticks may be used to gently push back cuticles.
    • Standard pedicures include a foot massage.
      By: Gennadiy Poznyakov
      Standard pedicures include a foot massage.
    • A mini pedicure may be performed to treat nail thickness.
      By: Darren Baker
      A mini pedicure may be performed to treat nail thickness.
    • The feet will be placed in a small basin with warm water during the cleansing portion of a mini pedicure.
      By: Monika Wisniewska
      The feet will be placed in a small basin with warm water during the cleansing portion of a mini pedicure.